


Oath

by within_a_rustic_cafe



Series: Oath [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Emotional Sex, Friends to Lovers, Love, M/M, Memories, Past Lives, Romantic Soulmates, Soul Bond, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-06
Updated: 2018-06-06
Packaged: 2019-05-18 20:10:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 13,779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14859470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/within_a_rustic_cafe/pseuds/within_a_rustic_cafe
Summary: Steve and Tony go from enemies to soulmates in this story that I wrote for the Cap Ironman RBB. The art work that goes with this is by Kaitovsheiji who was an absolute joy and blessing to work with for my first ever collaboration! <3





	1. The History of Soulmates

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kaitovsheiji](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaitovsheiji/gifts).



> Here you can find the link to the gorgeous art Kaitovsheiji made for the fic! 
> 
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/14861567

Legend has it, there was a force, a certain energy in the world that was unexplainable. It was _this_ energetic force that could bring two people together and bond them for eternity. It was believed that each person was destined to be with their other half, their soulmate. Together they could not only enhance the beauty in each other, but also bring out each other’s inner strength, protectiveness and loyalty. Mentally and emotionally the soulmates were one body, their faithfulness to each other unparalleled. 

 

Through the ages, every member of a clan, tribe or nation had soulmates because of the spectacular qualities only a soul bond could produce. Survival and safety took precedence over all things, and the warrior-like traits soulmates brought out of each other protected their tribes’ territories and enemies. 

 

But as time progressed, population grew and civilization advanced, the once burning and passionate idea of soulmates dwindled to a low glowing ember, the thought almost neglected since it was such a rarity for people to find their soulmate in the modern world. It was but a childish dream, a fairytale parents told their children at night.   
 

That didn’t mean that soulmates didn’t exist anymore. That energetic force from legend still lived on just as strongly. But the rational mind can over power the heart, hindering a person’s view from predestined fate.    
 

This is a story about two such men, who through deep valleys of pain, anger and denial come to find that there’s a reason their lives have been so intertwined for centuries. 

 ---

New York 2012  
  

“Im not gonna do it,” Tony said, slouching back into the black leather chair, folding his arms defiantly.

 

“Stark, your father was a part of Project Rebirth. Don’t you think its slightly important that you get your ass over there and meet him? Fury asked, voice sharp and tone irritated as he glowered at the other man with his one good eye.

 

“Nope. You just solidified every reason why I won’t. My dad made a beefed-up golden boy...its really not that big of a deal.”

 

“That ‘beefed-up golden boy’ is Captain America, Stark,” Fury remarked, voice stern. Tony didn’t say anything, wanting to get up and walk away. He was a busy man with more important things to deal with.

“He saved millions of lives and helped the Allies win the war...” Fury continued on, basically throwing Steve Rogers’ profile at the brunette. Tony pursed his lips together and took the papers irritatedly in hand. He looked at the picture of a man he had idolized growing up, the man he had wanted to be...the man who had all of Howard’s attention.

 

“Honestly, Nick, you called me here for an urgent matter and this is it?” Tony stood then, turning for the door.

 

“Tony, “ Nick Fury called as the genius opened the door to the hallway. His voice was softer than usual, and Tony looked back, shocked at the man’s almost pleading tone. Fury took a breath, itching at his brow.

 

“Captain America...Steve Rogers,” Fury began, standing and walking around the desk to face Tony. “The man doesn’t know anyone in this day and age...” The director explained. “Thought you might be able to be someone he could talk to. Being Howard’s son, someone Rogers used to know.

 

Tony rubbed at his jaw, groaning. He could feel himself fighting internally on what to do. He really had no desire to go see this guy who had been Howard’s own pride and joy. But Tony also felt this slight ache in his chest as he thought about the man in the profile, a man out of time, his blue eyes looking so unsure of everything.

 

“I must be out of my mind,” Tony murmured, scratching at the back of his neck before stuffing the super soldier’s file into his jacket pocket. “Where can I find him,” Tony finally asked, relenting to Fury’s favor. Fury told Tony the address of where they had placed Steve, in a S.H.I.E.L.D run apartment complex.

 

Tony left Nick Fury’s New York S.H.I.E.L.D office, slipping into the Iron Man suit that was waiting outside for him.


	2. Out of the Ice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve tries to understand the century he woke up in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The apartment was sterile, barren and beige, lacking energy and life itself.

 

Steve had been out of the ice for a few days, and after a crash course of the last 70 years he had missed, he was placed into an apartment complex that was established by S.H.I.E.L.D.

 

Steve had managed to venture out into the city within the next few days. At first he was nervous, naturally and understandably so. But soon the super soldier’s nerves turned into curiosity, and Steve found himself exploring the twenty-first century in awe and wonder. there were things about the world that remained the same too. The culture of America, both good and bad; the diligence of a nation, technology and expansion. The prejudice of those different to what was socially, and culturally acceptable... sadly that had not changed since Steve went under the ice.

 ---- 

 

 

 

During one of Steve’s explorations through the city, the blonde sat outside a local cafe, sketching a bit while sipping at a bold brewed coffee. He had a newspaper with him from that morning, though he had not read through it yet. He was in the midst of drawing the architectural landscape ahead of him when he decided to take a break and read the local listings. There was no rush, and Steve unhurriedly read the articles, some not so exciting, and others enthralling.

 

The blonde was near the end of his readings when he came across an article about new research in soulmate bonds. Steve hummed slightly in surprise. Soulmate bonds were not overly common in his generation, though his mother told him the she and Steve’s father were soulmates, and that most generations before her had soulmate bonds. Soulmates, his mother said were defined by an invisible emotional energy that tied two people together. Every night, when she would tuck a young, frail Steve into bed, his beautiful mother would tell him the tale of ancient men and women who were soulmates, their love and bond so strong that they could conquer every challenge before them, even death. Steve, sickly and weak would listen, his eyes big as his mother enthralled his imagination with magnificent visions of stoic heroes, fighting for peace and falling in love.

 

But as Steve got older, technology and science progressed, especially during the turn of the century the idea of soulmates and soul bonds were seen as medieval or rather juvenile. If there was nothing to prove such bonding energy existed, how could it be so?

 

Steve was rather taken aback that such technological progress the world had made in the last 70 years would have wiped out the phenomenal idealistic philosophy of soulmates. The super soldier read the article eagerly, his interest certainly piqued at the content.

 

The article expressed a scientific reasoning of soulmates, that the energy that had been said to exist between soulmates through history could in fact be real:

_The research involved 250 couples from around the world. They all varied from age, gender, race and sexual orientation. The study showed that out of 250 couples that were studied, 193 of them emoted energies that were only detected through sensory signal technology. The energy, the scientists found were also linked to the emoting of a foreign hormone never before seen. This foreign hormone has been given the term “Soulmate Hormone” for the sake of this study. The research proved that the couples who were married longer, and in more of a stable relationship, had stronger energy waves between them as well as the newly discovered Soulmate hormone. The Soulmate Hormone’s make up, the chemicals it secreted target to the amygdala. These couples who had the Soulmate Hormone and energy waves also had enhanced amygdalae, a part of the brain that possesses emotion and long term memory. Depending on the strength of the Soulmate Hormone and energy predicted the size of the amygdala._

 

_Much to the research scientist’s surprise, those with impressively enlarged amygdalae had an astounding sense of declarative memory. Of the 193 couples, 28 of them had a stellar degree of biographical (episodic) long term memory. They had remembrances of lives from centuries ago, lives that they claimed they had lived. Though remarkable in their recollection of memories of times long past, scientist’s stress that there is not research or proof that past lives or reincarnation exist or have a link to the Soulmate Hormone._

  

 

 

 

 

Steve smiled as he reread the article, remembering how he had dreamed of finding his soulmate, someone who was his absolute perfect match. Someone who heightened his strengths, balanced his weaknesses and brought an inexplicable joy to his mind and soul. Steve reminisced of that yearning to provide such happiness for someone else, that he, a skinny, sickly man could be the perfect match to somebody, that he could give that almost etherial joy. During the war, and after Project Rebirth, Steve had believed Peggy was his soulmate. The connection they had, such kindred spirits in the world. She brought him so much joy, encouraged him and lifted him up when the world literally and figuratively crumbled around him. He was sure she was the one, his soulmate. He’d never felt such a connection with anyone before or since.

 

But Peggy lived on after the ice, was married and had a family. Steve was happy for her, though his heart ached at imagining what could have been for them. Soulmates happen once in a lifetime. Soulmates were two halves of a whole, completing each other, and bringing out the best in one another...Steve had his chance with Peggy. They could have had that beautiful life after the war. But Steve sacrificed that life, and though he didn’t regret the decision to crash Red Skull’s plane, Steve still wondered if he would have finally understood pure bliss with Peggy. 

\---

Steve walked into his apartment, gym bag in hand. He had just did a work out at a gym that had a feeling of old, a rustic space with crackled leather and the smell of chalk powder floating in the dim lighting. Steve was in a zone as he had pounded at the heavy bag, thinking of the past, with his friends in the war, with Peggy...and before Bucky fell. Now Steve was alone, in a world that was both full of curiosities and crippling unfamiliarities.

 

Then out of nowhere, Nick Fury waltzed into the gym, greeting Steve. The older man told the super soldier of the tesseract, something Steve was all too familiar with sadly. Knowing it was in the hands of an otherworldly foe was terrifying. That kind of power the tesseract had was not to be possessed by anyone. Now Steve would be on a mission, to get the powerful cube back. He couldn’t help but wonder why they were using such an ethereal object.

 

“You should have left it in the ocean,” Steve murmured to Fury as he left the gym, thinking of how the tesseract was safest out of the hands of anyone or anything.

 

Steve sat his gym bag in one of the closets in his apartment before spotting a debriefing packet on his kitchen table. The blonde made himself a cup of coffee on the stove before settling himself in a chair to review the mission to retrieve the tesseract. There would be other members involved on this mission, Steve realized as he thumbed through the different profiles in the file. They were all rather fascinating figures. There was a lovely red headed woman who had an impressive record with SHIELD, as well as a man who could turn into a gigantic, green and muscular being.

 

 

 The last file he gazed upon was of Anthony E. Stark, Howard’s son. He resembled him remarkably, appearance and personality wise. Steve heard of this great Tony Stark, the mind behind an amazing contraption known as the Iron Man suit. Tony, like his father, was a genius and also had quite the playboy record, self-centered...

 

 

 

Steve however saw in the NEWS clips that Fury showed him during that catch up session on the last 70 years, the philanthropy work Tony had done with his Iron Man suit. Steve had also read in Tony’s profile that he had recently begun focusing his life’s work with providing to the people, and not militaristic weaponry. Still, there was something about the man that Steve didn’t care for.

 

Maybe it was the footage he’d seen of Tony flashing a knowing grin, spewing sarcastic remarks and in the public eye during a recent court hearing that revealed how confident and cocky the brunette genius was.

 

Men like that merely reminded Steve of the bullies he’d grown accustomed to back in Brooklynn.

\---

It was the next morning that Steve had a knock on his apartment door. He was in the middle of sifting through the documents he made copies of at SHIELD. It took a lot of coaxing for them to let him have copies, but once Nick Fury gave direct permission, the director of archives reluctantly gave Steve the documents. 

 

Quirking an eyebrow then, Steve went to the door, opening it slowly, not even thinking to check the peep hole. This would be the first time since the day a SHIELD agent took him to this apartment, that Steve had a visitor.  

 

Steve was taken aback when he saw Tony Stark standing on the opposite side of the threshold, a pair of sunglasses on, hiding his eyes. Steve quickly wondered why he would have sunglasses inside a building before more importantly wondering why the man was at his door. 

 

"Hello," Steve said tentatively, not sure what to do or say in that moment. 

 

"Hey," the brunette greeted, extending a hand. "Nick Fury sent me." Steve stared blankly at the other man, shaking his hand firmly. 

 

"Mr. Stark, correct?" Steve started before Tony cut him off. 

 

"Tony," The man said quickly, taking off his sunglasses with his free hand. "Call me Tony." He dropped his hand then before taking a step into Steve's apartment. 

 

"Tony," Steve began to speak once more. "It's nice to meet you, but umm, why'd Fury send you here?" The super soldier asked, clearly confused. Tony turned to face him then, their gaze locking together. Strange as it was, Steve felt a peculiar sense of familiarity with the brunette... as if they met before. The blonde could only assume it was because Tony was so much like his dad. 

 

"He said you didn’t know anyone and that you could use the company," Tony replied plainly his dark eyes big as he looked up at Steve. 

 

"Oh," Steve remarked, unsure of how to feel about this. "Well, thanks, I suppose," Steve added before offering Tony something to eat and drink. 

 

"No thanks, Cap," Tony replied, checking his smart watch then. "Shit," the brunette cursed, grabbing for the door. Algorithms were going crazy at Stark Tower, and Tony needed to get there as soon as possible to try and straighten it out. "Gotta run, but if you need anything, give me a call," Tony said half way out the door. He took a card out of his jacket and handed it to the blonde before racing down the hall. 

 

Steve watched Tony go, an overwhelming feeling in his mind which led to a headache. Steve didn’t even think he could get those anymore. The super soldier sighed and closed the door, walking to his kitchen He read the words and contact info on the card Tony gave him. The information wasn’t for Tony but for his front desk department at Stark Industries. With a huff Steve tossed the business card on the table top, the small rectangular card fluttering in the air before landing partially on the S.H.I.E.L.D debriefing packet.  

 

Steve stopped mid stride then as he headed toward his fridge, only to look back at the card and folder that held Tony's profile. The man was arrogant and superficial, Steve thought. That's what he picked up from the debriefing papers. But there was something so familiar about the brunette genius, not just because he was Howard's son, but something that went beyond that. As if they had met before. 


	3. The Meeting

Tony considered it a blessing in disguise that there was an urgent matter at the tower. Tony had dreaded going to Steve Rogers's apartment even if he felt bad for the guy. Seeing Steve Rogers, Captain America, standing like a sculpted statue, tall and muscular. He was everything Howard had raved about. Tony wasn’t able to handle that truth as well as he'd expected. Steve rogers, Captain America was what tony was not...was what Howard compared tony to. Captain America, the hero he'd looked up to and loved as a kid was merely just a man, a success story for his father's genius mind. 

 

He flew back to Stark Tower in a flash, hoping the glitch in the power system wouldn’t set them back too far. Tony was close to getting Stark Tower to be completely dependent on clean energy through the arc reactor power. He could do it, he knew he could, but his mind had been a bit out of sorts since Captain America had been plucked from ice, preserved in the cold. How he was still alive floored Tony's mind, even with the power of the serum that moved through the super soldier's veins. 

 

Tony quickly found himself in his lab, asking J.A.R.V.I.S to put up the specs for the incorrect formula. 

 

"Shall I send this project to the interns of Stark Industries, Sir?" J.A.R.V.I.S asked Tony as he looked over the equations and schematics.  

 

"No thanks, buddy," Tony responded to the A.I. Though Tony had an internship program for prospecting students, this project was his own, and he didn’t want it in any other hands.  

 

The formula and algorithm were giving Tony grief as he tampered with it and picked at his brain, and it was evening by the time Tony had his fourth diagnostic running, hoping this would finally be the magic number, literally.  

 

The genius sat on his old couch in the lab, screw driver in hand as he twirled it aimlessly in his palms. He wasn’t thinking about anything in particular, just the solitude and low whirring that surrounded him. Tony grabbed the remote and turned on the large flat screen that perched on the wall in front of him. He flipped to a main NEWS channel, needing a distraction from the lonely silence that began to eat at him. The brunette wasn’t overly interested in the weather, or whatever sports team was in the play-offs. What sport season were they in now anyways? Hockey? Baseball? 

 

Tony flipped thorough a few more channels until something caught his eye. The NEWS anchor spoke of some possible new discovery, and Tony read the banner beneath her frame that read _"Proof of Soulmates?"_ The genius leaned forward with interest. They'd found proof of soulmates being real? Tony watched and listened intently, seeing the hopeful evidence of the Soulmate Bond. Tony believed himself to be a realist as well as a man of science and logic. Growing up, the fairytale stories always centered around the soulmate bond of the prince or princess. He remembers his nanny reading to him and telling little Tony that one day he would find his soulmate too. Young and naïve, the brunette couldn’t wait for that day to arrive, where he and his soulmate meet and everything in the universe would seem to line up...where Tony would finally understand true joy and contentment. 

 

But the genius got older, and the soulmate legend was just that: a legend, something fooled children like Tony to believe in an idea that truly couldn’t exist. But now there was promising scientific evidence that such a thin existed and had been around since the dawn of time. The brunette continued to change the channel when the soulmate story ended, only to then watch an interview with an anthropologist in prehistoric history. She spoke of the historical aspect of prehistoric peoples, and the material culture that links these historical groups to their views of soulmates in their clan or tribe. Tony huffed a breath in almost disbelief.  

 

Eventually Tony went off to work on his projects, Pepper coming down at one point to talk of business matters. Yet, Tony's mind kept falling to the soulmate story, and if that meant he would have a soulmate all his own. It was as if his childhood self and the innocent hope he once had reappeared inside his heart once again. 

\--- 

Later that night Tony finally fixed the problem with the algorithm for the arc reactor energy project. But as Tony set to work switching Stark Tower over to clean energy, everything that would make up the future chapters of his life would shift. And the next thing he knew, he was heading off to Germany to square off with some alien god who had an ego even greater than Tony's. 

 


	4. Clans

After the Attack on New York, Tony found himself constantly in his lab, anything to keep his mind from thinking about the aliens, gods and devastation that plagued him every moment of his life.  

 

He barely slept, as nightmares screamed in his head, the cries of the innocent, the loss of air in his lungs as he watched the Chitari life source explode in front of him. He would wake up in a cold sweat, tears streaming down his face, alone.  He would calm after a while, trying to think of the good that came after they defeated the alien army. Steve Rogers and his smiling face, dirty, disheveled hair falling in his blue eyes. That was what Tony awoke to after losing consciousness in space. And that somehow made Tony feel okay. He didn’t know why, he assumed it was because he realized he wasn’t dead.  

 

A few months after that, he and Pepper broke up. And Tony's mind continued to torture him as the little thoughts he had entertained about he and Pepper being soulmates fizzled out like suffocated ember. It wasn’t good for him to be in the mansion all alone, he knew that. He needed to just make the move to the new Avengers tower and get it all fixed up. The brunette kept dragging his feet though; he just wasn’t ready. There was a part of him that believed Pepper would come back, that they'd work things out. 

 

Tony fell asleep one night, after three nights of insomnia to find himself in a vivid realm that seemed to be tangible and real. 

 

 _Two leaders of_ _a_ _clan, a_ _dark-haired_ _male_ _, and a flaxen haired female were bound together as_ _warriors_ _and protectors of their people. They were the perfect pair, and their community grew because of their strongly built leadership_ _and love_ _._  

 

 _The forests of the Northern continent were silent save for the buffalo and local wildlife of the area._ _A clan of the area,_ _known only by location since_ _written word or spoken_ _language_ _did not exist yet,_ _was nestled amongst the pines. Tony found himself walking in the foliage, a foggy mist swirling around his legs as he moved. He looked about a moment, clearly stunned by the_ _environment_ _he was in before spotting a figure near a rocky cave. He wore simple primitive garb, not saying anything before_ _another_ _human motioned for him to enter the cave. Tony followed them._  

 

 _Tony watched as t_ _he_ _dark-_ _haired_ _male slipped inside the rocky cavern of their temporary home, to find his blonde soulmate whimpering in pain as she was assisted by fellow clansmen and women. She clutched onto a small_ _figurine, which Tony assumed was a_ _fertility_ _statue_ _as a she_ _pushed._ _The male rushed to her side, wiping the sweat from her brow as she relaxed against the tanned leather blanket beneath her._  

 

 _The brunette smiled softly, pressing his lips to the hand that wasn’t holding the goddess figure. He_ _could_ _see the mark on her shoulder where their soul bond was formed many moons ago. It was warm, and so the brunette pressed to fingers to it, helping sooth his love's pain. The female calmed, as only her_ _bond mate_ _could create such ease and_ _relaxation_ _in such a strenuous time as child birth. He could feel her pain through that bond mark, taking on her suffering to share the load of her feminine biological burden._ _The power of the soulmate relationship gave her the strength and will to continue, and she gave him the_ _shape_ _they'd needed to carry on the bloodline and expand their nomadic group. Tony was in awe of that affection and devotion the soulmate leaders had for one another._  

 

 _The clan rejoiced as they bared a son, and the two warriors smiled happily at one another before their eyes met Tony's own._  

 

The brunette woke up in a flash, his breath ragged, sweat dripping on his brow. He immediately felt an ache in his chest, as if his heart was about to stop. He clutched his arm, trying to regulate his breathing. It was a mere dream, not even a nightmare, and Tony's mind was in fight or flight mode. Everything felt so real however, as if he had truly been in a Neolithic dimension, witnessing it all first hand. Tony assessed his room, which was empty now that Pepper had gone, wiping his sweaty temple and forehead. He felt clammy and overwhelmed as the dream played on a loop in his mind. The genius saw these figures and felt a strange connection to them. They were a distant memory, as if he had this dream before and these characters had a vague familiarity. Tony flopped back on his bed, grunting with frustration and staring at the ceiling. 

 

All this soulmate stuff was getting the better of him clearly. No wonder he had dreamed of such things...about clans and soulmates and soul marks. The NEWS was flooded with it still as more tests and evidence started coming to light. So many stories were surfacing of people talking about their grandparents being soulmates, or how some folk were going to devote themselves to finding their soulmate. Hell, there was even talk of creating a "Find My Soulmate" App for your phone.  

 

Tony, feeling as if he had met these warrior soulmates at some point was obviously a byproduct of lack of sleep, and so Tony brushed it away. He needed to go back to bed. But his mind whirred, and the brunette could not shake himself from the vivid dream. He had never been hung up on the subconscious thought he had until that night. 

 

An hour later, Tony was in his laboratory, working on Iron Man suit number, well he wasn’t really sure at this point. But it was getting up there, into the thirties probably. 

 

 All he could do was tinker, to keep the panic attacks and nightmares away. As he worked, Tony unknowingly kept randomly touching his inner shoulder, where the soul mark was placed on the characters in his dream. 


	5. A New Home

When the Battle of New York was over, Steve moved to Washington DC, working at S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters with Natasha, visiting Peggy and meeting a fellow vet while doing his usual workout routine every morning. 

 

Eventually, that temporary contentment vanished as the corruption of humanity brought out the worst in S.H.I.E.L.D the parasitic legion of Hydra uprooting the holistic mission of the original S.H.I.E.L.D. Steve found himself once again without a place to call home. 

 

That was until Tony invited he, Natasha, Sam and Maria to Avengers tower, where the Avengers initiative finally took off. Steve considered going back to his little apartment back when he first woke from the ice, but that apartment was sad, and lonesome. if he was apart of a team, he needed to amongst them. And heck, Steve's quarters at the Tower were at least ten times the size of the S.H.I.E.L.D owned apartment.

 

So, Steve gratefully accepted. Though the men made amends after Loki was taken back to Asgard a year or so ago, Steve felt that they would be able to start  things anew. Oddly enough their given personalities were a balance, and they tended to mellow the other out when the moment permitted. Yes, they didn't always see eye to eye, but instead of getting into a heady argument, they talked things through, and eventually came to an agreement. For the most part anyways. Steve was at peace with the fact they were on decent terms, and he even found himself becoming more fond of Tony, the man's characteristics that once made Steve irritated, actually made Steve appreciate the brunette a little bit more. 

\---

After settling into Avengers tower, Natasha, Sam and Steve had time on their hands since S.H.I.E.L.D fell. So, the three friends went to a museum in New York. It wasn’t huge like the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but a quainter museum with less foot traffic. Steve was rather excited to browse the museum, Natasha said they had a wonderful art collection, and the super soldier missed his art history classes from school. 

 

The museum hosted primarily art history, much to the blonde's pleasant surprise. A few side exhibits were on other themed artifacts, but Steve was immediately drawn to the pre-historic art of the Neolithic era. He stood in awe of the cave drawing prints and what their interpretation was. Sam and Nat went ahead of him, Sam more interested in the Impressionist room. Natasha went to ask a few questions to the docent in the next room which held Ancient Egyptian, Minoan and Greek art. 

 

Steve hurried along, though he really wanted to read every exhibit and study every object. Maybe he would come back another time and ask if he get a private tour somehow. 

 

Steve headed to the next exhibit, eyes lighting up at the wonderful artifacts. "Isn’t it amazing how the Ancient world had such unique material culture, Nat?" Steve breathed as he wandered to the Ancient Grecian pottery and sculpture. He leaned in close, his nose almost touching the glass the priceless objects were housed behind. He was almost transfixed at the amount of detail in a gorgeous marble statue of two nude men dueling. Steve assumed it was depicting an Olympic boxing match.  

 

But as the blonde straightened his posture once more he found himself to be rather light headed and nauseous. He held his head in his hand and tried to take a few deep breaths. Natasha saw him there looking woozy. 

 

"Steve?" She questioned, hurrying over to him. She didn’t get there in time, for Steve reached out for her to help keep him balanced. Black spots flickered across his vision and he collapsed against the tile floor, unconscious.  

 

_Steve found himself in a weird subconscious state, walking along a beautiful path that led into a great city. Beautiful Grecian architecture surrounded him as men and women walked about in himation and chitons. He recognized then that he was in ancient Greece...the classical period of his art history knowledge was still crisp. He gazed upon a statue of a sculpted man of fine physique, muscular and stoic. Graceful._

_Something captured Steve's gaze then, and he looked to the city center to see men being carted by soldiers. The men in chains were the slaves of the soldiers who must have won the battle. A blonde man in the line turned and looked at Steve. Steve knew that man, from where, he did not know. But he knew him._

_But before he could figure it out, the dream scene changed. Steve was in a home, and there was a dark-haired man in the room with him, dressed as like the soldiers he saw earlier. Steve looked down at himself realizing he was in chains and wearing mere scraps of clothing. The clothing of a slave. 'What was that all about?' Steve wondered, worry and nerves creeping in. It took him a moment until he understood then that he was the slave of the man in the room. Steve's army must have lost to the enemy, and as culture permits, the loosing soldiers are taken as property for the winning army._

_The man turned around then, his armor gone, leaving him in his gilded trimmed robes. He looked like Steve had met him before, some time ago. The man's eyes were an astonishing blue hue, his hair deep brown with a fleck or two of chestnut. His skin was tawny from days in the sun. They were close in height, Steve an inch maybe taller, and yet the man embodied strength and intimidation. Steve stared, mouth agape as he tried to place where he knew the man from._

_Surprisingly, the dark-haired man unclasped his bindings, tossing the metal on the stone table. "No need for that," the soldier said, cocking his head as he surveyed Steve. "Your quarters are in the North end of the house. Whatever is mine is yours...within reason," the brunette chuckled lightly. "In nine months' time, you'll be freed from my ownership, and you may return to your land._

_The soldier turned and walked toward the washing bowl in the corner of the room, and Steve watched as his...owner, wiped the grime and dirt off his skin, his muscles slick with the cool water. Steve stood almost transfixed as the spread of the man's back shifted with each movement. The blonde swallowed thickly, feeling his chest tighten at the masculine view in front of him._

_What was going on with him?_

_The brunette turned to grab the linen to dry himself off, only for Steve to take it, offering then to dry the man, not knowing why he was doing this. It seemed natural for him to take care of the soldier, though. Something within Steve wanted to do this._

_The soldier did not stop Steve as he went to work drying his tawny skin, trying to not reveal how he enjoyed feeling the taut muscles underneath the drag of the thin cloth._

_"What is your name?" The soldier asked gently, watching the blonde working. Steve looked at him under his lashes, pausing at his task briefly._

_"Stefanos, my liege," Steve said, a quizzical look forming on his face as he said a name that, Cleary was not his name. And yet, Stefanos was his name, in that era in space and time, he was not Steve. Nothing made sense, and yet made all the sense in the world. He continued to work however, grazing the cloth over the soldier's defined torso._

_"Stefanos," the brunette repeated softly._

_"May I ask your given name? Steve, or now Stefanos asked, finishing drying the man's form. He spoke more freely than was probably permitted, but he wanted to know. He needed to know. He'd wanted to know everything and anything about the man he was going to be around for nine months. A warmth blossomed on his inner shoulder as he set his gaze on the soldier, who in return looked at Stefanos with pure sincerity._

_"Antonius," he replied. His name made Stefanos's heart thrum quickly. He noticed though, that Antonius placed his palm on his shoulder, rubbing at the same spot that was warming under Steve's skin. He felt an ache so sweet in his mind and soul as the man touched the mark that was forming. Steve placed a hand on his own mark then as the heat of it grew. IT was at that moment, when both the men touched that mark, their souls bonded, their lives becoming one, where Stefanos could feel all that Antonius felt, and Antonius experienced the emotions and sentiments that Stefanos felt. They were speechless as this recognition of finding their soulmate spread over them, and the men smiled, taking a step closer to one another._

 

Muted voices wafted around Steve, the man slowly opening his eyes as the eye adjusted to the lighting in the room. He recognized Natasha and Sam hovering over him, both helping him sit up. 

 

"Wh-what happened?" Steve asked, feeling winded. 

 

"You were walking through the ancient era exhibit, turned white as a ghost and-" Natasha explained before Sam chimed in 

 

"And you fell right on your ass," Sam laughed. Natasha good naturedly rolled her eyes at Sam.  

 

"Knocked out cold, Steve," Natasha added. "We've managed to get the docents and other employees of the museum to mark off this room until you were feeling alright." 

 

"Can’t let people see Captain America passed out," Sam jested.  

 

Once Steve was feeling alright, his friend helped him up, Sam giving the super soldier a bottle of water. 

 

"Thanks," Steve said, drinking half the bottle in one long swallow. He wiped at the sweat on his bow and glanced around him. Natasha and Sam watched, both not saying anything as they waited for Steve to gain his bearings. The super soldier still felt ill, his head heavy, mind foggy, and all thought of was the dream, that vivid vision that seemed like a historical accurate glimpse of real people...people he knew. How could he know people who lived 2,500 years? Why did their soulmate origin matter? 

 

"Steve," Natasha cooed, her pale hand resting on his shoulder. "You're alright. You're okay here." Steve looked at her with big eyes, brows furrowed with confusion and reflection. They'd must have thought he'd had a memory of the war. Sam also told him he was back on U.S. soil and with friends. Steve didn’t correct them, and he was truly grateful for their kindness and support. But he didn’t want to tell them about the vision of these past people, and his emotional connection to them. Soulmates and all its new proof still was a skeptical ideal to many folks. Steve didn’t feel the need to really tell anyone. It all didn’t mean anything anyway. 

 

Where Natasha's hand was, on the blonde's shoulder, a warmth began to gently pulse. Steve paid it no mind as he finally continued on in their museum visit. 

 

When they made their way into the Byzantine section of the museum, Steve rubbed at the slight warm itch on his shoulder, right near where the muscle met his neck. He stopped in front of a gorgeous tempura altar piece as Nat and Sam went on. Steve thought of Stefanos and Antonius, and where their soul marks were.  

 

The super soldier quickly caught up to his friends, not wanting them to be concerned. But he looked at objects on display blankly, as his thoughts raced with the possibility of maybe finding his soulmate. Oh, how he still yearned for that day, if that day ever came anyways, when he found his other half. The one that balanced him and enhanced his strengths. 

 

Natasha and Sam headed off to the giftshop once their tour was over, and Steve meandered behind, lost in thought. He noticed an exhibit room dedicated to Captain America, probably on loan from the Smithsonian. There was a picture of him on the main panel, looking stoic in his Captain America uniform. Steve remembered that picture being taken, and all the takes they had done until Steve looked like the overly masculinized figure they'd wanted for the propaganda  

 

For a split-second Steve turned to go inside the exhibit before catching himself. He’d been there many times, watching the same reels of old footage, with him and Bucky smiling together, or Peggy telling the stories of the Howling Commandoes. In the modern world, Steve found solace and ease in that space of the museum. it was nostalgic, something he knew. Something that made him feel less alone. Steve hesitated, tempted to revisit it and ground himself again. but Steve kept walking, reassuring himself that his life in the present was equally as important as the on some seventy years ago. 

 

He toured the aisles of the gift shop, which was smaller than the one in the Smith. Natasha had a few things picked out, Sam was eyeing up a print of a Renoir he had admired earlier in the museum. The super soldier saw a bookmark with a picture of a Grecian Statue, the man standing in contrapposto, his chest bare, his robes fashion to cover his nether regions. Steve felt drawn to it however, from both an artistic standpoint and the familiarity it brought him. The man reminded him of Antonius.  

 

Turning to head for the checkout line, the blonde’s eye was caught by a display of coffee mugs. Steve browsed the table, looking at the different coffee cup designs. Most were quirky and highlighted the museum’s collections. The super soldier enjoyed his coffee, but he was looking at the mugs for Tony. The genius liked his coffee more than anyone else Steve knew. They were not overly close, but they were more than acquaintances. Still, Steve felt it would be a friendly gesture to get the man something. Plus, Steve wanted to see the genius, to maybe even hang out with him sometime. Bruce and Tony were buds and hung out a lot, Steve wanted to be amicable with all of his teammates too. The little museum gift would give Steve the chance to go down to the lab the brunette constantly locked himself away in.  

 

The blonde found a mug with Tesla on it, with a saying “I liked wireless before it was cool.” Steve hopped Tony liked the novelty, cliched mug as much as the super soldier did. 

 

He checked out, buying his bookmark and mug, eager to get back to the tower and see the genius. he didn't know why he felt nervous suddenly as they neared the tower. he had no reason to be nervous, it was just Tony, he wasn’t going be mad about it, no matter what Steve’s unbeknownst anxiety was telling him.  

 

When Steve headed down to Tony's lab, that spot on Steve's shoulder tingled, and the blonde pawed at it absent mindedly. He asked J.A.R.V.I.S if he could go inside the lab, and the A.I. announced his entrance. Tony was chatting with Bruce as Steve walked in, smiling a little sheepishly at the men.   
 

“Hey, Steve,” Bruce greeted with a small wave, clasping his hands in front of him then. 

 

“Hi. Bruce,” Steve greeted back. 

 

“How ya doin’, Cap?” Tony said, looking at the blonde expectantly. It made sense, Steve figured. He never came down here, so Tony probably just thought he needed something. 

 

“Hi, Tony,” Steve grinned, a small fluttering filling his chest. _Where did that come from?_ Steve wondered, though his confusion didn't show on his features. 

 

“I- uh, well I went to this one museum with Natasha and Sam,” Steve said his stupid nerves causing him to blabber. Tony didn’t glare or seem annoyed, he just waited patiently as Bruce glanced at the other genius. “Anyways, I saw this and thought you would like it,” Steve rushed out, practically thrusting the gift bag in Tony’s hand. Steve felt himself sweating, chills running up his spine as his shoulder began to almost seer with pain.   
 

“I hope you like it,” Steve breathed before he turned and headed for the elevator, his chest tight. he felt like he was going to pass out as he pressed the button for his floor. he could hardly look at Tony then, as if he did, it would have revealed something to the brunette. 

 

Steve finally reached his floor, and it was then that he felt like he could breathe again. Steve flopped on his couch, burrowing his face in a pillow. The blonde had a swirling of confusion in his mind and heart. His reaction to seeing Tony worried him, the gut feeling and heat blindsiding him. He reacted like when he had first laid eyes on Peggy, his heart beating quickly, his chest tight with butterflies. Seeing Tony down in his lab, his brown eyes almost a glow with the natural lighting from the westward windows, and his easy smile as he looked at Steve intently. Thinking about it now made the super soldier swallow thickly, his cheeks blushing. it didn't make sense, for Steve never noticed these features on Tony before, at least not in a way that the blonde thought to be as attractive characteristics. 

 

Sitting up, Steve thought a moment, though there was no further clarity to his predicament. So, the super soldier went to take a shower as the sun began to set, only to get into bed early. Maybe he needed to sleep; after the scene at the museum and with he reacted with Tony, the super Soldier figured he may need to just relax. The man sketched in his journal, random items at first before he listlessly moved to people. The scratch of the pencil on the slightly textured paper lulled him, the light music that played on his radio reminding him of the past. 

   
 

As he drew Steve began to think back to the vision at the museum and the men, Stephanos and Antonius, and the super soldier decided to sketch them from his memory. 

 

Stephanos was blonde, strong and masculine…loyal. Steve knew these facets of the man, even without being told so. The blonde drew Stephanos as such. He sketched out Antonius too, the man fit mentally and physically, with captivating eyes and an impressive selflessness. his heart was pure and good. 

 

Steve was enraptured in his work, an undying need to capture their features perfectly. Everything needed to be precise. Steve was lost in his artistic design that he didn't look away from his drawing until his phone chirped. Steve checked his message to see Tony’s name there, and the blonde’s heart leapt. he read it and blushed at what the genius wrote. 

 

“Hey, Cap. You okay?” Tony’s concern for Steve was a bit of a surprise for the super soldier. It wasn’t that Tony didn't care about him; contrary to popular belief, Tony cared about his teammates more than himself, and the blonde always admired the small ways Tony showed his worries for others.   
 

“Yes. Thanks, Tony :)” Steve replied with almost shaking fingers. Steve set his phone down only to pick it up immediately when Tony responded.    
   
“Anytime, Steve” Tony’s message read. When the genius used his real name instead of ‘Cap,’ Steve’s belly flip flopped, and his shoulder blossomed with warmth. Steve rubbed a palm over his face and sighed.  

 

He was in trouble. 

 


	6. Revelation

In the penthouse of Avengers Tower, Tony sat on his big couch, looking at the gift bag Steve had given him earlier. He had not opened it yet, and he felt a strange nervousness in his gut as he slowly took out the wrapped object. Tony was a bit flabbergasted by Steve's gesture, and he ignored the giddiness he had when the man came down to his lab. Steve never came down there, and thought they were cordial, the brunette constantly felt a yearning to be closer to the blonde. It confused Tony, though a part of him was thrilled. When he saw Steve enter earlier that day, and they made eye contact, that tingling in his shoulder strengthened, but he didn't itch at it, not wanting Bruce or Steve to notice.  

 

The genius did his own research on the matter, he had a hunch of what the warm mark on his shoulder meant. He had J.A.R.V.I.S bring up the results for soulmarks and the first few articles confirmed his inkling: Scientific journals came up about them, how they are formed and why. Some of it was hypothetical, but the theory was basically the same across the board. The genius even looked at a few pictures of these soul marks, some were modern, and some were in old photographs. Though they were all varied in placement, there was that similar circular red spot that was just slightly raised. 

 

Tony breathed deeply, moving the ribbed neckline of his t-shirt over to see that red mark on his own shoulder. it was at bay now, thankfully; he was ready to claw it off earlier. 

 

Nibbling his bottom lip, Tony finally unwrapped the gift Steve gave him, and Tony couldn’t help but grin at the pun and Tesla. Tony’s heart pinched at the gift, and he was rather eager to use too. He washed it out and put it next his coffee maker for the morning.  

 

Looking into the bag, Tony saw a long item inside, and he pulled it out to see a bookmark. he assumed it was Steve’s, yet he observed the art piece, impressed with the figure's physique.     
 

“Wish I looked like that,” Tony said aloud, putting it back in the bag. He’d bring it to Steve in the morning. Hopefully the super soldier wouldn’t run away from him then. How Steve acted earlier truly caught Tony and Bruce off guard. Tony tried to ignore the disappointment he felt too when the blonde hurried away from him, barely looking the genius in the eye. 

 

Ever since the Avengers moved into the tower, Tony had secretly yearned to be closer with Steve. For them to be friends. And though they have grown since the battle of New York, it still didn't seem to be enough for Tony.   
 

Tony fished that bookmark back out, eyeing the statue again. The muscles reminded him of Steve, the defined curve of a pectoral, the small waist and broad shoulders. tony felt his cheeks warm at the thought, his belly getting tight.   
 

With wide eyes Tony looked down, noticing a problem down below. That was not good. 

 

“Oh no,” Tony murmured, tossing the bookmark back in the bag and standing up. he paced his living room, thinking of what this all meant and what he would do going forward. Tony thought about what it meant, the soulmark warming and itching when Steve was around, and now Tony was thinking of the man and being attracted to him?! 

 

Did this all mean Steve had one too? Did he have a soulmark that itched and burned when he was around Tony? Tony didn't know. And he couldn’t really ask the man, could he? They were a personal, private matter.    
 

Tony would keep it a secret for as long as he could, not wanting to admit his soulmark and who the universe deemed to be his soulmate. 

\---

That following morning there was an Avengers training session that Tony clearly forgot about as he strolled into their gym with a mug, the mug Steve gave him, full of coffee. 

 

"Hi, Tony," Steve said with a wide smile. He and Natasha were sparring, but when Steve was blatantly distracted by Tony's appearance, the woman used it to her advantage and swiped the super soldier's feet right from underneath him. 

 

Steve landed on the mat with a thump, Natasha's knee quickly pressing against his neck. He looked up at her and she smirked. 

 

"I see your attention has been captured elsewhere," she grinned before getting off the blonde and helping him up. 

 

"Hilarious," Steve said, playing it off as nothing. Thankfully, from the workout Steve was already flushed, so nobody could see the blush on his skin for Natasha calling him out on his staring. 

 

"I'm really not feeling the workout today guys," Tony said with a yawn. Steve noticed the man looked rather tired. Maybe he did not sleep well.  

 

"Ah come on Tony, you still need to show us your mixed martial arts routine," Steve said, grabbing a towel to wipe the sweat off his face and neck. He noticed his shirt was soaked, and so the super soldier in one movement pulled the wet t-shirt off, flinging it into a corner. The blonde met Tony's eyes then. Tony looked at him, an indiscernible expression on his face. Steve felt shy then, as if he was too exposed to the other man. It was weird. He never cared before, and Tony never seemed to be concerned with his shirtless form before either. The blonde awkwardly tried to cover himself with the small towel and overt his gaze. 

 

Natasha was busying herself, obviously not wanting to be a part of whatever was happening between the two men suddenly. The pain in Steve's shoulder was searing, and the mark was obvious to see. Steve could swear that there was a rouge creeping up the genius's tawny skin. Tony turned on his heel then, ready to bolt it seemed only for him to stop.   

 

 "Oh, Steve," Tony said, sticking his free hand into his pocket, and the way Tony said his name made the super soldier's chest swell. Tony took out an object from his pant pocket and Steve realized it was his bookmark, and the blonde swallowed thickly. He had completely forgot about that before he gave Tony the gift.  

 

The brunette waltzed up to Steve, closing the distance quickly. He handed Steve the bookmark, their fingertips brushing as the super soldier took it. That touch made Steve immediately grab at his mark on his shoulder, and he noticed Tony flinch too, the man twisting his face up in what seemed like pain.  

 

"Tony," Steve started. "Are you okay?" The brunette waved him off and nodded.  

 

"Thank you for the mug, by the way," Tony added then, holding up the mug a little before taking a sip. "It meant a lot." Tony gave him a genuine smile, and Steve couldn’t help but to smile back, his eye lighting up, the happiness he felt indescribable.  

 

"You're welcome. I was happy to get it for you," he finally said, remembering himself. Steve looked at the bookmark, thinking of his vision.  

 

"What was so special about that statue," Tony inquired after a moment. Steve felt a bit of embarrassment waft over him again, but he quelled it as much as he could. 

 

"Oh, well I was walking through the Ancient art exhibit and passed out," Steve said nonchalantly, ignoring Tony's shocked expression. "I am alright. But I had this dream while unconscious about two men in ancient Greece who became soulmates. This statue reminded me of the one," Steve explained. "Weird, right?" 

 

"Well," Tony started, brushing a hand in his hair. "Not too weird. I had one of those too a while back, of a prehistoric couple...and it was like I knew them. But with all this talk of soulmate stuff, it is probably in our subconscious," Tony added. But there was something about how Tony said everything, and his facial expression that caused Steve to wonder if the genius was holding back something about the subject. 

 

"Mabe so," Steve responded. "Soulmates were always something of legend to the mass population. And now, science is saying its highly probable. Who would have thought," Steve tossed the small towel over his shoulder then, hiding his mark. He didn’t want Tony to ask about that as well. 

 ---

As the months went by, Steve and Tony's friendship grew, co-leading the Avengers helped the men council once another on strategy, tactic and decision making, creating a team of strong, driven heroes, wanting to help the greater good. All this while however, as their friendship became remarkably strong, so had their soulmarks. Yet neither man had admitted this. 

 

Both secretly suffered.


	7. Consuming

On a cool evening, Steve decided to catch up on some reading, a journal in hand so he could scrawl some notes down. He was sitting in his living room, reading about the political system of the Nautical Exploration Age. He read the book with great interest, writing down ideas and thoughts in his notebook. The super soldier was a few chapters in however, when two names came to his mind, two names that were not in the book at all. Steve needed to write the names down, and suddenly he found himself writing down a story involving those two gentlemen in Rococo France. Steve muttered the words as he wrote, almost reliving their history...as if he was being consumed by them.

 

_Étienne hurried through the maze of people who cluttered the Parisian streets, selling their goods and running their daily errands. Étienne's small frame moved clumsily, his blonde hair whipping out of the plait at the back of his neck. as he carried his art supplies to his patron's mansion. The small man had been tending to his ailing and was running behind. Thankfully, his patron was also his friend, Antoine. Antoine, whom he had met through another aristocratic male Étienne had painted._

_Étienne and Antoine were good friends regardless of their class difference. They admired one another's work too. Antoine was an inventor of sort, creating gadgets for the French army and guards at Versailles. Étienne was astonished by Antione and his genius mind. And Antoine was always in awe of the breathtaking artwork Étienne could create so effortlessly._

_As their friendship grew, so did their bond, and over time their fondness turned to love, an unrequited love where neither spoke of it. It was wayward and deviant, and they yearned for one another in secret, ignoring that warmth in their inner shoulder that grew when they were around one another. They'd admitted their feelings for one another in private settings, though neither really acted upon their desires. The men had vowed to find a way to be together once Étienne's mother was feeling better and Antoine's purse was saved._

_Étienne finally made it to Antoine's mansion, his breathing labored from practically sprinting. He was greeted by Antoine's servant, who let the blonde find his own way to the room where he always painted Antoine; Antoine's study. He set everything up, already having a few ideas sketched out on wood panels. His heart was fluttering wildly in his chest the way it always did with Antoine._

_The man he loved entered the chamber shortly after, a sad expression on his beautiful features._

_"What is the matter, Antoine," Étienne asked, instantly concerned._

_"Oh, Étienne I have terrible news," Antoine whispered, shutting the door. "I've been betrothed, to Miss Virginia Potts. She is the daughter of my father's good friend from England. My parents told me this morning" Antoine said, his voice thick with sorrow. Étienne felt as if all the air had rushed from his lungs and a weight was thrust upon his chest. He didn’t speak for a moment, looking at the sketches he had out._

_"Antoine," he finally said softly, taking a step closer to his friend. "I am so sorry my friend." It was clear how hurt Étienne was feeling too. "She is not who you belong to," Étienne added, his blue eyes glistening with unshed tears._

_Antoine looked at Étienne with sad eyes as well, knowing exactly what his smaller friend was saying. "Our souls are not allowed to be together, my beautiful, Étienne," Antoine whimpered, tucking a dark curl of hair behind his ear. He took a step towards the blonde till they were chest to chest._

_"If only we could just get away," Étienne said, sounding almost hopeful. "But with mother ill, and your family business," he trailed off, looking down._

_"The universe says it is meant to be, and yet societal rules say that we cannot," Antoine almost scoffed, titling Étienne's chin up till his friend looked at him. "You will always be my true love, darling Étienne," Antoine cooed. Étienne felt a tear trickle down his cheek as his emotions began to overwhelm him. The artist slid his hand up over Antoine's waistcoat and cravat and to his shoulder where he felt that swelling of warm skin through his dress shirt._

_Antoine gasped at the man's fingers, gently digging into the skin. They've never been this close until now. The men had always believed they'd have time, to figure it all out. But now, Étienne needed Antoine to know just what the man was to him. Étienne's soul mark burned as he touched Antoine's, easing the melancholy in the brunette's body and shrouding him with all the love he could give him._

_"I love you," Étienne said, leaning up to wrap his other arm around Antoine's neck. Antoine inhaled a ragged breath as tears betrayed him as well._

_"And I love you, my soul mate," Antoine breathed, resting his forehead against Étienne's, knowing this would very well be the only thing to keep each other going for the rest of their days._

 

Steve eventually came out of his daze, looking around disoriented. He checked his watch, shocked that it was almost midnight. He looked at his notebook to find it partly filled with his writing, about Étienne and Antoine. The super soldier was internally freaking out, extremely worried about these visions that keep getting stronger. He pushed the notebook away as if it was a deadly substance.

 

His mark was pounding, and he rubbed it as much as he could, even putting some cold water on it, trying to soothe the ache. Steve went to the balcony of his quarters then and let the cool air wake him up a bit, hoping the breeze would clear his senses. He wasn't sure what to do at this point.


	8. Yearning

"Brucie, I need to ask you something" Tony said out of nowhere one day as the two men worked in their community lab. 

 

"What's the matter, Tony?" Bruce asked, taking off his glasses and eyeing Tony with a look of worry. 

 

"You're a man of science..." Tony breathed, spinning around in his chair quickly. 

 

"I'd like to think so," Bruce replied tentatively. "What's this about?"  

 

Tony huffed a breath, lifting his gaze to the fellow scientist. 

 

"I think I have a soulmark," the brunette admitted, clasping his hands together and looking away. 

 

"A soulmark?" Bruce said in a mixture of awe and disbelief. "Tony, that's amazing. You know how rare that is anymore. Hell, it was seen as a myth until recently," Bruce continued moving closer to the other man. 

 

"Yeah, I know," Tony said, his voice almost devoid of feeling. 

 

"You sound upset by that," Bruce gently said, clearly noting Tony's mixed emotions. 

 

"It means I have a soulmate too. And I know who it is," Tony explained, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. 

 

"W-well, who is it?" Bruce asked, enthusiastic about it all. It took Tony a little bit by surprise. 

 

"Geez, Bruce. Never knew you were into soulmate hormones and its science," Tony jested. 

 

"Is it Pepper?" Bruce went on. 

 

"And hear I thought you were merely a thermo-astro-"  

 

" _Who_ , Tony," Bruce demanded. Tony paused and took a deep breath. 

 

"Steve. Steve Rogers," Tony admitted. The man moved his shirt collar aside then and revealed the red bump there. Bruce looked at it closely, truly fascinated. 

 

"Wow," Bruce breathed, moving the fabric of the neckline away so he could look at it better. 

 

"Steve has one on the opposite shoulder, I saw it the other day." 

 

"Really? Does it do anything when you're around him?" Bruce inquired, taking a seat on a stool near Tony. 

 

"It started out as nothing more than a casual warm itch. But now if I am in the same vicinity as Cap, it pulses and burns," Tony explained, dropping his hand away. "I can't stop thinking about the man, and the wanting of being close to him. The man gave me a hard on just because I thought of his body and muscles, Bruce," Tony rolled his eyes at the whole situation. Bruce chuckled lightly. "It just seems like I should have a choice in all this," Tony murmured. 

 

"Well," Bruce began, fiddling with his lab coat. "That's the thing about soulmates. They were developed as a survival characteristic in primitive times. But that trait still lives on even in modern times. To with that is love, reliability..." Bruce trailed off before continuing. "It makes perfect sense that Steve and you would be soulmates." Bruce gave a small smile, patting Tony on the back. "It might seem inconvenient now, but in time you'll see why you are destined for one another." 

 

Tony gave a smile about that. "Hope you're right, Doc." 

\--- 

Steve was plagued with more dreams, and even voices. Women talking, or men chattering. Visions would pepper his sight too. It was actually inhibiting his sleep and work, and his soul mark went aflame when Tony was around. Steve knew what that meant of course. But he was honestly terrified to talk to Tony. Not because of Tony, but for that the man would say, and the probable rejection that would come with it. Steve just had to bite the bullet and tell Tony of the drams, the mark and... his feelings for the brunette. Soulmates aside, choice or not, Steve knew in his heart and mind that he felt the most content with Tony. He was truly joyful and whole side by side with the genius. 

 

So, wearing his best clothes, because no matter what Steve told himself, he had to look his best for Tony. He unsurprisingly found the man in his lab, looking exhausted. 

 

"Hey, Tony," Steve said, making sure to stand straight, and stoic. He ignored the pain in his shoulder, ignoring the way the genius rubbed at his own shoulder.  

 

"Hey, Cap," Tony bit out, clearly trying to disregard his own pain. It confirmed everything for Steve, however. 

 

"Tony, I know what you’re feeling, the pain, the heat. I have one too," Steve said, moving his shirt aside, showing Tony the mark. He watched Tony take in a ragged inhale, closing his eyes. "We both know what this means," Steve gently said, taking an apprehensive step closer. "I've been having visions, dreams...of these people from random historical times, Tony," Steve explained. "As if I know them. And in some way, shape or form it all revolves around their soulmark, bond, you name it," Steve continued, hoping to gage a response from Tony. 

 

"When I am around you, my mark burns, and a yearning for you engulfs my mind, body and soul, wanting us to be close," Steve conceded. "I know this is new, eccentric, and uncharted for both of us. But I needed to tell you. I wanted you to know, for both our sakes." Steve waited for the other man to say something, but Tony was quiet, clearly pondering something. Steve felt a wave of anxiety hit him and he was ready to go back to his quarters when Tony finally spoke. 

 

"They're memories. I've had them too, Steve." The blonde turned to look at Tony, his body halfway toward the door. Tony strode toward the other man until they were inches apart. Tony showed the super soldier his mark too, on the other shoulder though, as if they mirrored one another.  

 

"They were like dreams but...they are memories of past lives we lived, I do believe," Tony explained. Steve looked at him dumbfounded. "Some soulmates have a hormone that causes an enhanced amygdala which is the main part for emotions and memories in the brain," Tony added. An understanding enlightened Steve's face, remembering that article he had read when he first came out of the ice. "But, what you feel, that yearning, I have it for you too. I desire you. I _ache_ for you," Tony admitted. "I am just having trouble coming to terms with it all. I am sure you have felt this way too, about the whole thing?" Tony asked.

 

"Y-yes," Steve replied, not expecting Tony to be so open to him suddenly. "I cannot say I have ever had such emotions and feelings for another man before."

 

"Well, you never had a soulmate before either so," Tony smirked, making Steve chuckle. "But, we have a choice, Steve. Regardless of biology, or the power of the cosmos or what have you. Do you know what you want to do?" Tony asked, his expression earnest.

 

"I-" Steve was left speechless, not knowing what this would mean for them. He knew what he wanted...he wanted Tony. But he was afraid of what Tony would say in response. He may yearn for Steve, but that doesn't mean Tony would _choose_ him.

 

An alarm sounded then, and it was a high-risk Avenger blare. "Guess this'll have to wait," Tony said as they both left their personal matters behind and readies to depart for the threatened area. 


	9. Broken

The mission went bad, and everything seemed to be a blur. Tony the entire time stayed close to Steve; an unexpected need to protect him had overcome his senses.  

 

And yet, Steve still got hurt. 

 

Tony was too late, and when that slimy alien wedged a foreign metal spear into the super soldier's chest, Tony felt every pain the blonde did. 

 

The team eventually defeated the bad guys. But all Tony could question was at what cost did it take? He rushed Steve to the hospital in his Iron Man suit, following behind the doctors as they hurried the blonde into surgery. Tony paced the waiting room, his heart racing, his mind whirring until it was allowed for him to see Steve. 

 

The man was not awake, and the sight of the super soldier, his friend... his soulmate like that overwhelmed Tony terribly to the point he had to sit down and remember how to breathe. 

 

"I should have saved him, should have been there," Tony repeated over and over. He'd closed his eyes a moment, but when he opened them Tony was not in the hospital of a modern age. 

 

_Looking around, the genius noticed wooden walls, metal tools and glass apothecaries. He recognized that he was in Victorian garb, suspenders and dress shirt, trouser pants. Something caught Tony's eyes, and he turned to see Steve, wounded and lifeless. He was not breathing, a blossom of blood covering his chest._

_"Steve?" Tony said, hurrying to his side. He looked over the man with concerned, almost distraught emotion. "Steve wake up," Tony pleaded, pulling the man's blood crusted lapel of his vest to see his neck. There was a soulmark as Tony expected, only it was dark, the ruddy warmth black and cold to the touch._

_The door opened, and Tony stood quickly moving in front of the slain man protectively. It was Natasha however, in her large bustle gown. She looked at him with water green eyes as she shook her head, red curls shifting over her shoulders. "you were too late. He asked for you, needed you, Antony. Where were you?"_

_Tony felt tears slip down his cheeks as he looked back to Steve, the pain in his shoulder was gone, an excruciating sorrow and emptiness filling him. His soulmate was gone, that emotional joy once breathing life into him had flickered out._

 

The beeping of the monitor startled Tony from his vision, and he blinked a few times, his surroundings shifting back to the present. Tony instantly observed the monitor, looking at Steve's vitals. They were stable, and the genius gave a sigh of relief. He scooted his chair closer to Steve's bed, and with a shaky breath, he reached out a hand, entwining his fingers with Steve's. His sight blurred from unshed tears as he watched the man sleep, his dark eyelashes gently splayed on his cheekbones. The blond had an oxygen mask on, but the brunette could see his pink lips barely part as he breathed softly. 

 

"I am here, Steve. Right here, my soulmate," Tony whispered, a few tears trailing down his cheeks then. Tony couldn’t find the energy to wipe them away even. All he could focus on was Steve. Every rise and fall of his chest, the steady beep of his heart rate. The genius's mark swelled and bloomed, his body feeling the pain Steve's own broken body was going through. His memory of their past lives came to him, remembering that prehistoric couple and the way the dark-haired man took away some of his soulmate's pain from child birth. It dawned on him then, that these visions and memories he and Steve had had been preparing Tony and even Steve for this moment. 

 

With a wing and a prayer, Tony leaned forward, tenderly laying his hand on Steve's chest, right above the bandage that protected his wound. He moved his fingers to the soulmark, he hissed at the sudden discomfort, emotions flooding his very being. Taking in Steve's pain, he tried to ease the super soldier with the comfort only he, the soulmate could give. 

 

"Please, Steve... I need you," Tony whimpered, caressing the man's mark with delicate, loving fingertips. 

\--- 

Hours ticked by slowly. Tony never left however, only to use the bathroom. Natasha and Sam came in every now and then to check on he and Steve. Bruce brought the brunette a few big cups of coffee, which Tony was very grateful for. 

 

Tony had eventually fallen asleep, his upper half bent in a rather uncomfortable position on the edge of the Steve's hospital bed. He was startled awake by something touching his hair, and as the distortion of sleep ebbed, Tony opened his eyes. He smiled gently, his heart fluttering alight as he realized Steve was combing a hand in his hair.  

 

Sitting up some, Tony looked at Steve with a shocked and elated expression. Steve's oxygen mask was off, and the blonde smiled tiredly, his blue eyes still sparkling though. "Hi Tony," Steve said, his voice raspy. 

 

"Steve," Tony beamed, holding his hand tightly. "How are you feeling?"  

 

"Not dead so, I feel like that's a good sign," Steve tried to joke, though it was clear how much of an effort it was for him. 

 

"I was so worried," Tony said softly. "I-I saw you dead, in a vision some hundred and fifty years ago," Tony added. "I was too late for you then, but Steve." Tony gently brought Steve's hand up to his lips, kissing his knuckles. "I am here now. And I will never in all that I am able, let anything happen to you again," Tony vowed. "That's my oath to you." Steve smiled weakly, his eyes glossy.  

 

"And it is my oath to you, Tony," Steve whispered, his voice filled with emotion. "My soulmate."  


	10. Bond

Six Weeks Since the Injury

\---

Steve had gone back to the Tower a week after the injury, Tony constantly by his side, tending to him more than was probably necessary, Steve figured.  

 

For about three weeks the blonde was still rather bed ridden, the alien metal taking his toll on his body even with the super soldier serum. He could move around for short periods of time, but for the most part, he was resting. Tony made sure Steve was as comfortable as he could be, and by the six-week mark, Steve was making an almost full recovery. He still got tired frequently and had to take frequent naps, but, the wounds were healed, his breathing was easy and not a chore for the super soldier. 

 

One late morning, Steve awoke to Tony bringing him breakfast, the brunette smiling that pearly grin when he saw Steve awake.  

 

"Good morning," Tony cooed, sitting a tray of food on the bedside and sitting down next to Steve.  

 

"Morning," the blonde breathed lightly, smiling boyishly. He and Tony ate together, chatting about Avenger business and everything in between. Tony suggested they take a trip somewhere too once Steve was feeling one hundred percent better.  

 

Tony was beginning to collect their dishes when Steve scooched himself up a bit so that he was sitting up then, and he quickly embraced Tony. He felt Tony tense from the surprised touch; they had not been affectionate really, even though they both yearned for it, for that true unity and connection of their soul bond. But Steve was just too sick, and Tony was too busy tending to him and both Avenger and Stark Industry matters. Steve felt Tony wrap his arms around Steve though too, and he melted at the man's warmth. 

 

"Thank you, Tony," Steve breathed, nuzzling into the crook of Tony's neck.  

 

"Nothing to thank me for, Steve," Tony replied softly, pulling away to look at Steve. The brunette cupped Steve's cheek, his thumb brushing at the man's cheekbone. Unbeknownst to Steve, he flickered his gaze to Tony's mouth, a swirling tightening in his chest as his longing for the man became almost unbearable. Tony must have had mirroring feelings, because soon enough the brunette eased the super soldier closer. Steve closed his eyes, felt the heat of Tony's breath ghost against his mouth and jaw, and then the brunette's lips met his. Steve sighed softly, every bit of his being becoming Tony's, the soulmark budding with both warmth and contentment, desire and security.  

 

Steve's one hand slid up Tony's chest, gently pulling at the fabric of his shirt before he deepened the kiss, not wanting them to part. Steve never thought he would know the true happiness of having a soulmate, especially when he thought Peggy was his true soulmate. But the way he felt with Tony, the way Tony felt with Steve, it superseded everything Steve had figured it would be with Peggy. He loved Peggy, truly. But it was Tony whom his heart, mind and body belonged to.  

 

"I love you, Steve," Tony murmured against the other man's lips, leaning back a bit to see Steve. "I really, truly do, and that will never change. I just, want to make sure you still are willing to be with me, soulmates aside. This is your choice to make," Tony said. Steve could see the worry and doubt, he could feel Tony's concerns. Steve leaned back in, wrapping his arms around the small of Tony's waist.  

 

"This is my choice, Tony. Being with you is the biggest gift I have ever received. You being my soulmate, and you _choosing_ me on top of it," Steve pressed a kiss to the man's mouth, giggling from the man's facial hair tickling him. "It still doesn’t seem real." The blonde nosed his way down to Tony's shoulder and kissed the soulmark sweetly. Tony gasped at the caress of his lips, and Steve could feel the pleasure it gave Tony. 

 

"Steve," Tony breathed, sounding astounded. Steve sat up again and locked his azure gaze with Tony's.  

 

"I love you Tony, forever and always," the super solider said. Tony was beside himself with relief and happiness, and he kissed Steve again, a bit ravenously. He couldn’t help himself, their bond unable to be stifled anymore. 

 

It had been three years since they had met, and for three years, as the reality of their relationship became clear, they still fought their feelings. 

 

Tony eased Steve's shirt off, revealing his soulmark. The genius wasted no time kissing the warm skin, Steve's sigh spurring him on. He licked at it, even nibbled the mark, the pleasure Steve received flooding into Tony too. The knowledge that he could make Steve feel this way, filled with bliss was still hard to fathom. But Tony quieted his thoughts, focusing only on Steve. 

 

He guided Steve back to lay on his bed, making sure the man was comfortable. 

 

"Yes, Tony," Steve cooed, eagerly pulling the brunette's shirt up and over his head. Tony found Steve's mouth again, a hand cradling the blonde's head, the other tracing the musculature of chest. He was pleasantly surprised and even a bit proud when Steve moaned so sweetly from Tony rubbing at on his petal pink nipples. 

 

"Feel nice?" Tony asked, already knowing so, he could feel his soulmate's sensations.  

 

"Mhmm," Steve replied, almost drunkenly from pleasure. He arched against the other man however, wanting to feel all of Tony and explore his body anew. Steve curiously felt out the dips and curves of Tony's back, his shoulders, the ribbed muscle of his seratus anterior. "You're so beautiful Tony," Steve sighed, finding Tony's mouth once again, sucking the man's bottom lip between his teeth. Tony slipped his tongue in Steve's mouth, and the taste of the brunette sent a shiver down the blonde's spine. 

 

Tony moved his way down Steve's body, kissing at his clavicle, his beard scratching at the super soldier's creamy skin. It made the flesh there sensitive, and Steve gasped lightly. Steve tugged at Tony's hair, who moaned at the slight pleasure pain of his soulmate's fingers. 

 

Soon, Steve and Tony were stripped from their clothing, laying naked in Tony's large bed. They were both nervous and excited, the blonde and brunette new to this same sex relationship. And yet, they felt a rush of calm, knowing that this closeness of their bond was unique, beautiful and pure. They explored one another, Steve kissing Tony's inner thighs, his tongue finding its way to the man's groin. Tony was beside himself with pleasure as he watched Steve's mouth, pink and wet move over his erection.

 

In turn, Tony bit and sucked at his love's nipples, loving how Steve clutched at the sheets, begging the brunette for more. Steve was close to tipping over the edge when Tony slipped a finger within him, only to add another and caress Steve's entrance, all the while his other hand massaged at the meat of his bum. Steve felt his eyes tear up, his body and soul overcome with love, sensation and unadulterated serendipity.

 

And when they physically became one, their gaze meeting one another's, they united emotionally, mentally, and even spiritually, the feelings reflecting the others. Their love reached a metaphysical state, their heavy breathing and moans of euphoria a melody all their own. 

 

They held one another in that shrouded haven after, the sweat cooling on their skin, their release that sprinkled their bodies a result of both desire and loving affection. Tony held Steve close, and in turn Steve rested his head on Tony's chest, pressing a lazy kiss to the glowing arc reactor. He traced his hand over the one sinewy bicep of his soulmate, breathing easy. 

 

They did not say a word as they reveled in their bond, their closeness unparalleled. They knew in their hearts and minds the hardships and challenges that would come their way. But Tony and Steve knew that they would have each other. 

 

And that was more than enough. 


End file.
